New York, NY May 02: The Mount Sinai Health System today announced the launch of the Marilyn Monroe Mental Health for the Arts Program. The program is dedicated to the special mental health needs of the performing arts community, and honors the actress’s legacy and her 100th birthday in 2026.
The new program is embedded within the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts, a health center located in the heart of Manhattan’s Theater District. The Friedman Health Center was created through a partnership between the Entertainment Community Fund and Mount Sinai and received a 2024 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre for its service to the entertainment community.
The program honors a star who understood the pressures of the performing arts and of living both in and out of the spotlight. During her lifetime, she championed greater understanding and support for mental health, and she set aside a portion of her estate to advance that cause. Over time, that bequest diminished—but its purpose remains deeply relevant today.
Under the direction of Shilpa R. Taufique, PhD, Chief of the Division of Psychology for the Mount Sinai Health System, the initiative provides dedicated mental health services for artists at the Friedman Health Center while connecting them to Mount Sinai’s broader network of care.
The new program was made possible through an initial $100,000 gift from Lori Hall, a cultural steward and mental health advocate working to advance Marilyn Monroe’s humanitarian legacy.
“I am honored to help close the circle on Marilyn’s final bequest. Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most widely recognized and misunderstood figures in modern history,” said Ms. Hall, Legacy Patron of the new program. “She was a humanitarian, a patriot, a woman of intention and soft power. Through this partnership with Mount Sinai and the Entertainment Community Fund and with the support of her estate, we are able to provide meaningful mental health support to a community in need. I can think of no better way to celebrate her 100th birthday than by fulfilling this wish.”
Ms. Hall’s seed funding supports the services of Nicholas Kopple-Perry, DO, a Mount Sinai psychiatrist who understands the specific mental health challenges that performing artists face. He is available to see patients onsite at the Friedman Health Center, and mental health practitioners are on call for acute mental health emergencies that may arise. A wide range of specialists from Mount Sinai’s Psychiatry and Psychology faculty will provide training that further equips the Entertainment Community Fund’s social work staff to address mental health needs and connect patients with additional resources.
Careers in the entertainment industry are incredibly rewarding, but they can also present a number of risks to members’ physical and mental health. Whether a singer, dancer, musician, actor, or back of the house, the demands of these roles are long and grueling. The career of a performer can pose specific psychological demands, which can create chronic challenges with stress, anxiety, and depression. The relentless cycle from audition to rehearsal to performances and the in-between can present overwhelming strain on an individual’s mental well-being.
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to extend thoughtful, responsive mental health care to members of the entertainment community,” said Dr. Taufique. “The creative process for performing artists is profoundly personal—it asks individuals to draw on their emotional depth, vulnerability, and lived experience in ways that are both generative and, at times, depleting. When that level of openness is paired with the unpredictability and intensity of the industry, it can place unique demands on one’s mental health. It is a privilege to help build a program that not only recognizes these nuances, but also offers care that honors the artistry itself while supporting the well-being of those who bring it to life.”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In addition to the initial gift to launch the program, Ms. Hall is hosting a pop-up exhibit in Grand Central Terminal from Tuesday, May 19, through Friday, May 22, that will feature the actress’s personal address book from 1962, pairing contacts with archival photography and storytelling to highlight her deep ties to New York City. This experience is free and open to the public. The pop-up exhibit coincides with the dates Monroe was in New York City performing at Madison Square Garden for President John F. Kennedy in 1962. For more information, please click here; https://grandcentralterminal.com/event/marilyns-new-york/.
Individuals who are interested in the opportunity to renew Monroe’s original intention, while ensuring that the artists who inspire us are themselves supported, cared for, and never left to struggle alone, can support the Marilyn Monroe Mental Health for the Arts Program through this secure donation link: https://mountsinai.donorsupport.co/page/FUNJJBBYPDW.
Marilyn Monroe™; Rights of Publicity and Persona Rights are used with permission of the Estate of Marilyn Monroe LLC. marilynmonroe.com.
